Convertible bed constructions



Aug. 22, 1967 H. w. NEUNHERZ ETAL 3,336,605

CONVERTIBLE BED CONSTRUCTIONS Filed March 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 'l Allg 22 1967 H. w. NEUNHERZ ETAL 3,336,605

' CONVERTIBLE BED CONSTRUCTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet :a

Filed March 26, 1965 United States Patent O 3,336,605 CONVERTIBLE BED CONSTRUCTIONS Herbert W. N eunherz, Gardner, Draper P. Royce, Springfield, Benjamin L. Sharif, Brookline, and Robert K. Neunherz, Westminster, Mass. (all Gern Crib and Cradle Co., Gardner, Mass. 01440) Filed Mar. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 442,895 Claims. (Cl. 5-9) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Take-apart bunk beds made of tubular material particularly as to corner lposts, wherein a plastic glider element is separably attached to the lower end of each corner posts and can be used alternatively as a glider element on the floor for the lower bunk member or as 'a connector means for a special end cap on the top end of each corner post. Each corner post of each bunk bed has a glider element and a top cap member.

This invention relates to Ia new and improved oonvertible beds which are especially adapted for stacking for use as bunk beds which can be quickly and easily detached and used as single beds if desired.

One of the principal objects yof the present invention resides in the provision of means whereby these bunk beds are superimposed in such a way as to provide against any kind of wabble or vibrationwithout however increasing the expense of the construction; the provision of new and improved bedpost or leg connecting means one of which is female and located at the lower ends of the bedposts and the other being a plug therefor located on the top end of each bedpost, these means being made in such a way as to closely tit one another and' to prevent any wabble between one bed and the other, the female member being also used as a glide for contact with the iloor, both glide and plug being convenientlymade of plastic or rubber material providing again marring of any surface even though the bedposts or legs should be made of inexpensive tubular material such as steel.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of end panels such as head and footboards and a new and improved construction which includes means for permanently locking the same rigidly in position quickly and easily and including a spring-loaded pin construction in blind holes so that the parts cannot be taken apart providing a permanent extremely strong and rigid construction at a minimum of manufacturing expense.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is t-o be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the invention, parts being omitted and broken away for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a view in end elevation, looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1, with parts broken away and showing one bed only;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an end panel c-onstruction, parts -being in section and broken away;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation of the inside aspect of one of the bedposts;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section illustrating the pin connecting the panel to the bedpost;

ICE

FIG. 6 is a t-op plan view of the female connecting member or glide;

FIG. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of FIG. 6;

FIG 8 is a top plane view of the plug connecting member;

FIG. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating how these members interconnect.

In carrying out the present invention, each bedstead comprises four bedposts all of which may be substantially alike, being made of strong tubular material open at both ends and indicated by the reference numeral 10. It is contemplated that the bedposts of the upper `hunk bed as indicated at 12, 12 will be shorter than those at 10 so as to allow -headroom for the lower bed. However if the two beds are to be separated and used side-by-side,

then these bed-posts can be interchauged to provide a high backboard and a low footboard for the bed. Each bed has secured thereto either permanently or by means of slot and hook construction well know in the art, the brackets 14, 14 which support between them the bed rails 16 for the spring, mattress, etc. These are easily disconnectable in the usual way by means of the lpins and hooks clearly shown in FIG. 1, the pins being mounted on plates 18 at the ends of the bed rail and the brackets 14 being provided with .the usual hooks 20. Thus it will be seen that the two beds are quickly and easily set up either side-by-side on the floor or they can be arranged in stacked .position as shown in FIG. 1 by means of the glide and plug 1connector-s to be described.

The open end of each tubular member 10 and 12 is provided with a female insert or glide which extends outwardly therefrom to some extent and is indicated at 22. It is particularly pointed out that every bedpost has one of these members so that when it is placed on the oor it will not mar the same. These members are conveniently made of any desired material particularly plastic, rubber and the like. At the same time there is a similar or complementary -male member or plug 24 at the upper end of each .tubular mem-ber 10 or 12 and this construction is such that the plugs 24 enter the glides 22 in the stacked arrangement of the beds as shown in FIG. 1. Also the plug provides a finishing element for the upper end of the tubes, while the same is true of .the female members 22 at the lower ends.

This construction is 'shown in detail in FIGS. 6 to 10 inclusive. First looking at FIGS. 6 and 7 where the female member or glide 22 is shown in `detail for application to the lower ends of .the bedpost, it will be seen that this mem-ber includes a vertical flange 26 extending all about the same, said ilange extending inwardly forming a c-ontinuous peripheral shoulder at 28 upon which the lower edge lof the tubular bedpost rests. The ange 22 extends beyond the same, this clearly being shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and l0. Inwardly of the continuous peripheral shoulder 28 there is provided an upstanding sleeve-like hollow member 30 having a vertical outer surface 32 which frictionally ts into the lower end of the tubular bedposts 10 and 12, see particularly FIG. 10. If found desirable, this surface could as a matter of fact be slightly wider at its top 34 than at its bottom, i.e., its junction with shoulder 2-8; an-d being made of a slightly yieldable plastic or rubber material, can still be forced into the bottom end of the bedpost, tending to grip the same interiorly. The inner surface however of the Imem-ber 30 is conical as shown at 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 where the male plug is shown, this includes a depending skirt or the like at 38 which is more or less complementary to the inner surface of the bedpost and which has vertical side walls 40 or a slight are to frictionally be held in the upper ends of the bedposts. Also there is an outstanding horizontal flange 42 forming a shoulder resting on the bedpost and locating the male member 24 in position. Rising from this area there is a reduced hollow closed portion having an outer conical surface 44 which is complementary to that at 36 and is closed as at 46 to finish the piece off and form an ornamental plug for the top end of the bedpost.

As shown in FIG. l the parts are complementary, the surface 44 fittingly snugly in the surface 36 centering the parts and holding them together. Nylon has been found to be a satisfactory material to make both the male and female parts from, but other materials are also of course usable. The point is that it is desirable to have a good solid wedging action between the plug and the glide so that there is absolutely no wabble between bedpost and bedpost 12, and this is accomplished by having a good rigid construction comprising the tubular members 10 and 12, the connectors described, and the wedging type of hook and pin connections between the bedposts and the bedrails. On the other hand the parts are easily removable and when the connector parts 2.2 and 24 become worn, if they should, then they are quickly and easily replaceable.

As shown in FIG. 2 the bedposts 12 are connected by tubular members 50, 52 which are preferably welded at their ends or otherwise rigidly and permanently connected to the bedposts, this again providing for extra rigidity of the parts.

It is desired to provide headboards and also footboards in some cases which would essentially cover the distance between the tubes or rods 50, 52. This is preferably done by some light weight means such as wooden panels 56 and these of course can be utilized between each pair of the bedposts 10 or 12. However in order to connect such panels to the bedposts relatively imsy means or connectors have been utilized in the past, which connectors can be removed and the panels 56 taken oft" or broken; but in the present case a construction is provided which prevents unauthorized removal of these panels. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the panels are provided with accurately milled end edges 58 which extend between the corner posts and as a matter of fact `aid in rigidifying the same, but the point is that they are in rigid, tight abutment at both ends 58 of panels 56 with the respective corner posts.

In order to hold the panels in position there are provided pins 60 which are movably mounted and are in fully concealed position at the end edges 58. The pins 60 are located in recesses which are drilled in from the edges of the panels. The pins 60 are spring-pressed outwardly, i.e., to the left in FIG. 3, by springs 62. These pins are preferably of a soft but tough plastic such as nylon, linear polyethylene, etc., and are made hollow so that the pin shear strength is less than that of the wooden panel S6. If excessive pressure is applied to the panel, the pins will shear off. Of course the pins can be replaced in the panel and then put back in position, but if a panel is broken, a new panel is obviously necessary.

The pins have round or conical noses as indicated at 64 and they fit into holes 66 and 68 which are of a size which admit the noses but not the main body portions of the pins. One of the holes as 68 is made elongated to allow the frame to expand and contract with humidity and temperature variations relative to the panel.

The length of the panel 56 is made to give a snug fit between the bedposts which are preferably square or rectangular in section as shown. These are heated just prior to assembly so that the panel will just slip by the same and when cool the frame obviously contracts and the panel fits between the two bedposts under compression. This gives it an extremely tight fit and no light can be seen at either end between the panel and the bedframe, i.e., bedposts.

The pins are held by any means desired in flush condition with respect to the ends of the panel and then one end of the panel is applied to its post, with the bedframe hot, and the other end is forced into alignment of the pins and the holes. While metal pins can be used, it is preferred to use .plastic both because of the breaking point thereof as described above and also because the plastic pins do not scratch the finish on the frame as do metal pins. When correctly in place, all four pins snap into position because of the compression springs and because of the construction described, an extremely snug rattle-free construction results.

It is pointed out that the bedposts can be of any section but square has been found to be Imost practical. The connectors can be of any section also but again the square section has been found to be more practical. The pins 60 in the respective holes therefor can be square or rectangular as desired, but in this case the round pins of cylindrical form have been found to be much more practical and easier to handle.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

1. A convertible bed construction comprising a plurality of bedsteads each including four corner bedposts and a bed frame connecting the corner posts, the corner posts being hollow and tubular, a glide connector member at the lower end of each corner post, and a cooperating yplug connector member at the top of each corner post, means on the glide and complementary means on the plug for connecting said members together with one bedstead in stacked relation with respect to another, the glide member comprising a substantially hollow body with an interiorly tapered surface, an outstanding shoulder upon which the lower edge of its respective corner post rests, the plug having a complementary tapered male portion extending from the upper edge of its respective tubular corner post, and an outwardly extending flange resting on the said upper edge, the male portion being tapered complementary to the tapered interior surface of the glide member and closely and frictionally engaging and supporting the same but being manually retractable therefrom.

2. The convertible bed construction recited in claim 1 wherein said glade and plug members are made of plastic.

3. The convertible bed construction recited in claim 1 wherein the plug member is closed at the top of its exposed portion and forms a finish member for the upper end of the tubular bedpost when the respective glide member is not associated therewith.

4. A convertible bed construction comprising a plurality of bedsteads each including four corner bedposts and a bed frame connecting the corner posts, the corner posts being tubular, a glide connector member at the lower end of each `corner post, and a cooperating plug connector member at the top of each corner post, means on the glide and complementary means on the plug for connecting said members together with one bedstead in stacked relation with respect to another, the glide member comprising a substantially hollow body with an interiorly tapered surface, an outstanding shoulder upon which the lower edge of its respective corner post rests, and a downturned flange extending from said shoulder for engagement with the ground; the plug having a complementary tapered male portion extending from the upper edge of its respective tubular corner post, and an outwardly extending ange resting thereon, the male portion being tapered complementary to the tapered interior surface of the glide member and closely and frictionally engaging and supporting the same.

5. The convertible bed construction recited in claim 1 wherein said glide and plug members are easily detach- 5 6 able both as regards each other and their respective bed- 3,052,058 9/ 1962 Walsh et a1. 248-188.8 posts. 3,084,761 4/1963 Robertson 182-178 3,170,415 2/ 1965 Svilokos 108-53 X References Clted F A UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 789 464 l/lgEIGGN PB TNTS 2,644,973 7/1953 Becker 237-126 X at mam' 2,833,421 5/ 1958 Skubic 182-178 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVERTIBLE BED CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BEDSTEADS EACH INCLUDING FOUR CORNER BEDPOSTS AND A BED FRAME CONNECTING THE CORNER POSTS, THE CORNER POSTS BEING HOLLOW AND TUBULAR, A GLIDE CONNECTOR MEMBER AT THE LOWER END OF EACH CORNER POST, AND A COOPERATING PLUG CONNECTOR MEMBER AT THE TOP OF EACH CORNER POST, MEANS ON THE GLIDE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEANS ON THE PLUG FOR CONNECTING SAID MEMBERS TOGETHER WITH ONE BEDSTEAD IN STACKED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO ANOTHER, THE GLIDE MEMBER COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HOLLOW BODY WITH AN INTERIORLY TAPERED SURFACE, AN OUTSTANDING SHOULDER UPOM WHICH THE LOWER EDGE OF ITS RESPECTIVE CORNER POST RESTS, THE PLUG HAVING A COMPLEMENTARY TAPERED MALE PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF ITS RESPECTIVE TUBULAR CORNER POST, AND AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE RESTING 